


No Me Without You

by dannaskouhai



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Gore, Death, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Oikawa goes through alot, Psychological Trauma, Slow Burn, Smut, What more would you want?, there are dragons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-10-24 01:27:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10731303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dannaskouhai/pseuds/dannaskouhai
Summary: AU where Oikawa is a struggling college student in need of some adventure.  When a dragon suddenly makes its appearance in his apartment, he ends up going on one he wasn't quite sure he wanted.*Characters are not mine.  All characters belong to their original creator, Haruichi Furudate*





	1. Ramen and Surprises

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I am beginning a new story here on Archives! Please enjoy and please leave comments! I'd love to know what you all think of this concept! ^_^

If Oikawa could describe, in one word, how his high school career had been, it would be spectacular.  
He had attended the greatest powerhouse school in all the Miyagi Prefecture, Shiratorizawa, getting the chance to go to Nationals nearly every year, though they had always lost to other, more powerful teams from other prefectures.  
He had been their trustworthy setter, though he had had a horrible relationship with his ace, who was so apathetic, it had nearly driven Oikawa insane.  
Even to this day, he wondered why he had ever attended such a school.  
Maybe Aoba Johsai would have been a better choice…  
Still, he had enjoyed his time there, looking forward to finally going off to college to continue his volleyball career in the hopes of making the national team.  
Sighing, Oikawa slipped the key into the knob to unlock it, pushing the door open so he could step on into the tiny apartment he now called ‘home.’  
If Oikawa could describe, in one word, how his college career was, it would be uneventful.  
Mediocre.  
Boring to the point where he found himself yawning all day, even at times where he knew he had gotten the appropriate amount of sleep.  
He hadn’t a clue what he wanted to do once he left school with his degree in Communications, his volleyball career was going nowhere, considering the knee injury he had sustained back in his last year of high school was giving him too many problems for him to participate in most of the team’s practices, and he just couldn’t seem to hold down a job to save the life of him.  
Yep, Oikawa Tooru was going places.  
He dropped his bag onto the old, worn out couch in the living room and proceeded into the kitchen, opening the fridge in hopes of finding some leftovers, only to find the few things in there being a half-finished carton of eggs, some cheese slices, and three bottles of water.  
He heaved another deep sigh before letting the door close with a clap, swiveling on his heel to head over to the pantry.  
Guess it was a ramen night.  
Again.  
He set to work filling the sauce pan with water and putting it on the stove, setting the temperature on high to get the water boiling. While waiting, he pulled the dry noodles out of the bag and set it aside, gazing at the spice packet with mild disdain.  
He knew he shouldn’t be eating such an unhealthy meal for dinner; it wasn’t necessarily the noodles, themselves, that were, but the spice packet that made it so.  
He just also knew that any chance of ordering something, like Chinese or a pizza, was out of the question because his wallet was pretty much empty until his next paycheck in a few days.  
Paying rent was expensive, especially in the city.  
Why he chose to go to a university in Tokyo, he’ll never understand.  
It wasn’t as if he knew a lot of people on campus, mostly because many of the students just commuted or lived in their own apartments in separate districts.  
When he was a freshman, he had had the option of living in one of the apartment-style dorms the university had to offer, but once he had become a sophomore, they had booted him out so the incoming freshman could stay in them, forcing him to find a place on his own through the private businesses the school had partnerships with.  
It had been a major headache, both for him and his parents, who were helping with the rent and utilities since he was living by himself, but they had managed to find a fairly decent apartment within biking distance of Bunkyō at a reasonable price, so Oikawa couldn’t complain too much.  
The apartment had its regular, cliché, fully-functioning kitchen, with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, tiled entrance at the front door to place one’s shoes on before walking into the living room, carpeted floors housing an oak coffee table in front of the old couch that desperately needed to be replaced, along with a basic stand which held a house-warming gift from his grandmother: a 60”, flat screen TV, and a hallway off to the right with three doors across from each other, one leading to his room, the others leading to the bathroom and small laundry room.  
He was honestly being spoiled for having such an amazing place to live, which he felt he didn’t deserve.  
He didn’t deserve this place.  
Didn’t deserve getting into the school he got into, even though he prepared for the entrance exam for months ahead of time. He was wasting his money by not even knowing what he wanted to do with his life once he got out.  
Didn’t deserve to still be on the volleyball team, even though he misses out on most of the practices.  
What the coach saw in him to keep him, he didn’t have a clue.  
All he knew was that he was a pathetic version of his once former, confident self and it was starting to show in his grades.  
He had never gotten anything below a B before in his life.  
But this semester alone, he was looking at all Cs for mid-term grades.  
What the hell had happened to him?  
He clutched the spice packet into his fist.  
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, dammit, he thought to himself.  
The sound of water bubbling brought him out of his stupor and he turned around to place the noodles into the pot, using a fork to stir them.  
Maybe he should have an egg with the ramen instead…

 

Carrying the bowl of ramen and scrambled egg into the living room, Oikawa sat down and turned on the TV, a cooking show popping up on the screen. The woman looked to be making some sort of dish with potatoes and cheese. Scrunching his nose in annoyance, he flipped to the next channel, the local news reporter appearing. Finding this more interesting than watching someone else cook while he couldn’t, he sat back and decided to watch.  
“This week, we will see a drastic change in temperature as a massive cold front sweeps through the region. By this time on Saturday, it will be well below the 30° mark, so remember to stay warm! Also, if you have any pets, please keep them sheltered from the weather, as well! Now, back to Usui for the latest sports report-”  
Oikawa’s phone began ringing, turning his attention away from the TV to look down at the caller ID. Slurping down another noodle, he slid his thumb across the screen and placed it on speaker. “What do you want, Mattsun?”  
“Wow, as chipper as ever, eh, Oikawa?” his friend’s deep voice resonated through the phone. “I’m just calling to see what’s up?”  
“The sky? The ceiling? My increasing hatred for myself? The list could go on, but take your pick as to which one can qualify as an answer for you,” he remarked, not really caring if he sounded like some prissy teenager going through puberty.  
“Damn, I knew something was wrong,” Mattsun, real name Matsukawa, but Oikawa enjoyed calling him the former, commented. He heaved a deep sigh, making the line go static-y for a couple of seconds before it died away with a, “Want to talk about it?”  
“It’s not like I don’t want to, but it sounds petty out loud and I’m not ready to come to grips with what I know.”  
“And that would be?”  
“My life.”  
“I highly doubt your life is that bad. How’s the job?”  
“Shitty; can barely pay the bills and rent.”  
“What about school?”  
“Barely passing any of them.”  
“The volleyball team?”  
“Can barely play cause of my knee, you know this.”  
“Well, what about-?”  
“God, Mattsun, will you please stop asking all these questions??”  
He hadn’t expected himself to say that with such force, and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, even though he knew Mattsun couldn’t see it. He hid his face in the hand that wasn’t holding the bowl. “God, I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated and angry at myself.”  
“Why are you apologizing for having legitimate feelings of stress?” his friend asked, sounding genuinely concerned and interested.  
“Because I wasn’t like this back in high school, nor was I like this during freshman year of college,” Oikawa explained, swirling the fork around in the noodles idly. “I had my shit together back then, I don’t know what happened.”  
“You might be going through a slump, then,” Matsukawa exclaimed. “Like you might need some excitement or something. When was the last time you went out and did anything fun?”  
“You make me sound like I’m some old fart who lost interest in the world years ago.”  
“Oikawa, just answer the question.”  
The latter gave a harsh sigh. “Fuck, I don’t know, maybe like a month ago or something?”  
“…Oikawa…”  
“Well maybe two…or three…maybe…”  
“…Okay, how about this,” again, Matsukawa sighed before continuing. “Come to my apartment this weekend and we’ll go out for some drinks. I’ll invite a few others and get a group together. How does that sound?  
“But I don’t drink often.”  
“See, Oikawa, this is why you’re in a slump,” his friend sounded slightly annoyed, but his voice stayed calm. “You don’t have to order anything, just come be social and stop being a hermit for a night.”  
“Okay, okay, fine, fine, I’ll go, just stop reprimanding me, alright?” Finishing up the last of the noodles, he trudged back into the kitchen to place the fork and empty bowl in the sink.  
“You just hate admitting that I’m right,” Mattsun sounded smug, at which Oikawa snorted at. “It’s your smugness that I hate.”  
They shared a few quiet chuckles before the line went silent for a few seconds before the other male spoke again. “Things will get better, Oikawa. I promise.”  
“Everyone always says that.”  
“Well it’s true! Actually, hey, you know what would be even more fun?”  
“What?”  
“Why don’t you bring someone?”  
“What do you mean, bring someone?”  
“Oikawa, you know exactly what I mean. Bring a date.”  
“I’m not dating anyone, idiot.”  
“I’m not saying you have to be dating the person, just ask someone in one of your classes to come grab drinks with you and some friends. I’m sure they wouldn’t say no to such a pretty face.”  
“Aww, Mattsun, how sweet of you,” Oikawa feigned sincerity, but dropped it just as quickly in replacement of annoyance. “But it is half way through the semester already and there is no one in any of my classes that remotely gauges my interest.”  
“Well you’re just gonna have to try, then. Be at my place at 7 on Saturday, no later,” with that, Matsukawa ended the call, leaving the other to stare at the phone in mild shock.  
Not only was he now going out bar hopping with people this weekend, he was being tasked with trying to find someone to bring with him as a ‘date.’  
He sighed – he seemed to be doing that a lot today – and crossed his arms over his chest.  
Who could he bring?  
He was pansexual, so anyone would suffice.  
The only issue was that literally no one had caught his eye this semester and that realization was a daunting one.  
Holy shit, was he going to end up like one of those old people that collected pets as a hobby because they could never find someone?  
He shivered at the thought.  
No wait…that was an actual shiver.  
Feeling cold air sweeping across his back, Oikawa turned to see the window over in the living room slightly open, the chilly, November air slipping through into the warm apartment. He knitted his brows in confusion.  
Had he been a dumbass and left it open all day?  
Probably; he was forgetful at times, especially stressful ones like what he was currently dealing with.  
Either way, his heating bill would increase tenfold if he didn’t shut it soon, so he took the few steps needed and slid the pane down, latching it to make sure it stayed closed.  
He turned on his heel and made his way over to the couch to grab his bag.  
He needed a miracle to happen if he was to find someone to bring in less than five days.  
First, though, he needed to get some homework done for History and take a hot shower to get rid of the still present chill creeping over his skin.  
He was looking away, absentmindedly grabbing his bag and making the gesture to throw it over his shoulder, when he felt it bump – no – slam into something, which was accompanied by a loud, “Fuck, watch where you swing that thing!”  
Oikawa froze in his tracks.  
The voice did not belong to him.  
It was deeper, gruffer than his slightly more feminine one.  
And it was coming from his couch.  
The chill on his skin turned to ice as his spine stiffened in fear and his heart began to race.  
He was too afraid to turn around.  
He walked into his apartment alone.  
No one else should be in there.  
Unless…  
Swallowing the tennis ball-sized lump in his throat, he mustered up whatever courage he had and spun around, ready to attack if need be.  
Unfortunately, he didn’t really get the chance to.  
He more along the lines of screamed and flew backwards, backpack flying off somewhere as he landed hard on his butt and crawled away as quickly as possible until his back slammed against the wall opposite the couch, warm, brown eyes blown wide as he stared at it.  
Laying on the sofa was what looked to be a tiny, blue dragon. No bigger than the size of his hand, the creature had light blue skin with a yellow underbelly, green eyes that burned into his very soul as it looked back at him, spiraled blue horns that jutted back towards the wings that looked somewhat like a mashup between a bat’s and a bird’s, and a tail that ended in a tiny fin.  
Oikawa wanted to do something; his mind was certainly screaming at him to do so.  
But his physical body refused to move.  
Refused to do anything but continue to stare at the creature that should not even exist, let alone be in his apartment.  
However, the creature was, so he just sat there, heart pounding against his chest, mind reeling from the spectacle laid out before him.  
What the hell was he supposed to do about this?  
How would he explain this to someone?  
What the hell was going on??  
Questions ran rampant through the male’s brain, the creature still gazing at him with its dark green eyes. That’s when it blinked and tilted its head.  
“Why don’t you take a picture, it’ll last longer.”  
The same deep, gruff voice appeared, this time apparently coming from the thing currently relaxing on his couch.  
Oikawa’s eyes turned into saucers.  
Matsukawa had been right…  
Things were about to change.  
He just didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.


	2. Don't Bother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I am here to upload the next chapter of this story! Please continue leaving comments and kudos, I love knowing you all enjoy this story as much as I have writing it. :) Please note as I have said in the Archive tags, this is a very slow burn story. So please bear with me and continue supporting it <3

Oikawa blinked slowly, still not saying anything as the creature, the dragon, tilted its head again. “Well, are you going to take a picture or not?”  
“There’s a dragon in my living room,” the male finally spoke, voice so low, it was almost like a whisper to himself.  
“Well, yeah, obviously.”  
“And it’s talking to me.”  
“Technically I’m telepathically communicating with you, since I can’t physically mouth words, but in all intents and purposes, I guess you can say I’m talking to you.”  
“Oh, my god, I’m going crazy,” Oikawa murmured, clutching his dark brown tufts of hair in his hands tightly, eyes wide as he stared off into the distance. “This can’t be happening; this isn’t real. I-I must be dreaming or something.”  
He heard the creature continue to talk to him, but his brain blocked out the words in an effort to come to grips with reality.   
Was this even reality?  
Maybe he had taken some LSD or hallucinogenic drug before coming back to the apartment and this was the result.  
Yeah…yeah that seemed like the best answer.  
Of course, he had never taken an illegal drug a day in his life, so he would be lying to himself if he thought otherwise.  
Still, though, reality was saying there was an actual, talking dragon in his apartment, and that’s what was fucking him up.  
“Yo, you’re gonna pull your hair out if you keep doing that,” the deep voice suddenly sounded a lot closer, and when Oikawa went to look, the dragon was right at his feet. He yelled and grabbed for the nearest book laying atop the TV stand, bringing it over his head. “You just stay the fuck away from me!!”  
“Are you seriously going to smash a book over me like I’m some damn bug, asshole?” it sounded mad, which it had no right to be, if Oikawa had anything to say about it.  
And who the hell was it calling an asshole?  
“You’re certainly not welcomed in my house like one!” he countered, lowering the book slightly. “How the hell did you get in here anyways?”  
“Through the window.”  
So, that’s why it had been opened before.  
So, he hadn’t been a forgetful dumbass.  
This creature-thing had just managed to find its way in.  
Oikawa shook his head vigorously, setting the book down before sighing heavily. “Why are you here? What do you want?”  
“I’m here for the sole purpose of taking shelter until the cold front passes. It’s too windy to fly safely right now,” it explained, turning around and kicking up on its hind legs to get its wings moving, little bursts of air erupting as it flew back over to the couch to lay on it, tucking its front legs over each other and looking back at the male still on the floor. “I apologize for the intrusion, and for that, I will introduce myself. My name is Haizrek, human name, Iwaizumi Hajime. I’m not from here, but I’ve travelled a long distance from the South. And your name?”  
“Oikawa Tooru,” the male exclaimed.  
“Are you a college student?”  
“Yes, I attend the University of Tokyo.”  
“Highly prestigious school. Congratulations on your admission.”  
“Th-Thank you, I guess…”  
“May I ask how old you are?”  
“Um…I’m 20,” Oikawa tilted his head slightly. “How old are you?”  
“Thousands of years older than you, but in human years, I am considered to be 23,” the creature explained. His gaze softened. “If you have any more questions, please do ask. I am an open book with most.”  
“Okay…y-you talked about having two names. Why is that?”  
“Haizrek is the name used when I am in dragon form. Each of us are born as a human and develop the ability to shift into a dragon as we get older and progress in training. Our names are given to us and are used only when we are in such forms, as a way of communicating personally with one another. But once we are in human form, Iwaizumi is what most people call me,” he explained. “However, considering the circumstances, I will allow you to call me whatever you’d like.”  
Considering the circumstances?  
Oikawa pondered on this thought if only for a second before looking back at him. “Fine; I’ll call you Iwa-chan.”  
The dragon, Haizrek, now Iwa-chan, looked taken aback, if not startled. “That’s highly informal to use after just meeting me and I’m still a dragon.”  
“You told me I could call you whatever I want,” the other male crossed his arms over his chest, jutting out his lip in a fake pout. “So Iwa-chan will be just that.”  
Haizrek sighed. “Fine, you may call me Iwa-chan.”  
“So, when will I see you in your human form?” Oikawa asked, suddenly very curious.  
Since it seemed like the dragon wasn’t going away any time soon, he might as well just embrace the whole situation and figure out as much as he could about Haizrek.  
The latter shook his head. “Though I sense that you are far from dangerous, I cannot trust you enough yet to switch back. Once that happens, you have my full trust and must not betray it.”  
“So, is there, like, a special diet you live on in either form?” he had to ask, because, honestly, Oikawa was broke and since feeding himself was already a challenge, he couldn’t even begin to predict how hard it would be now having to feed two mouths.   
“No, I’ll pretty much eat anything. I’ve never been a picky eater in either form,” Haizrek explained. “But the regular balanced diet is most effective to giving me energy.”  
The younger male rubbed the back of his head, giving the other a tentative look. “Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you might have to handle an eggs and ramen diet for a few days.”  
“Do you not have actual food?”  
Oikawa laughed weakly, gaze shifting to the ground. “Bills were a little more than expected this month and I haven’t received my paycheck from work yet. Once I get that, I’ll go grocery shopping. Sorry for the inconvenience; I’m not the best host at the moment.”  
“That’s alright. Eggs provide protein, so that will work. Do you have beans and rice?”  
“I have black beans, but I’d need to get the rice. Why?”   
“Black beans and rice provide about a third of the carbohydrates that your body needs in a day,” Haizrek explained, furling and unfurling his wings as he spoke. “Although when I say rice, I mean the brown or wild type. Those are more nutritional than the average white rice everyone eats. It increases blood sugar levels.”  
Oikawa blinked at the dragon. “How do you know all this?”  
The male could’ve sworn he saw Haizrek smirk. “I may not be picky in what I eat, but that does not mean I eat like a pig without knowledge of what I’m putting into my body.”  
“Oh…well I guess that’s true…”  
“Do you have enough money to get rice?”  
“Um, yes, I should. I’ll go to the store tomorrow during classes to pick it up,” Oikawa didn’t sound certain, himself. He hadn’t bothered looking at his wallet since a few days ago, when he had opened it and saw he only had a 20 and a 5 left inside. Sure, he could use his credit card, but he didn’t feel like receiving a large bill at the end of the month.  
He couldn’t even remember the last time he had really used it.  
Another option was his debit card, but he needed to make what little he had left in his checking account last until his next direct deposit.  
Damn was being a college student tricky.  
In the silence that followed his last comment, the younger male sighed and stood up, picking up his backpack as well. “Well, this has been fun and all, but I have History homework to take care of before tomorrow and my professor checks for completion and accuracy, so I’m gonna go to my room.”  
“Where’s that?”  
“Uh…down the hallway, first door on the left. I don’t know why – oi! You can’t just barge into my room like that!” Oikawa yelled at the dragon as it suddenly flew up and down the hallway, disappearing from view. He chased him until he reached his room, where he found Haizrek laying atop one of the pillows on his bed. His wings were laid out on either side of him and he looked content. “Nice room. You sure do have a thing for aliens, huh?”  
Oikawa felt his cheeks flush with angered embarrassment. “I will not be insulted by a mythical creature for my love for extraterrestrials!”  
He had to admit, though…his love had taken over his room.  
Posters of the little green people littered all the walls surrounding his full-sized bed, which backed to the wall to his left and had a black, alien-themed comforter and matching sheets underneath. He huffed in annoyance as he threw his backpack onto the mattress, making it bounce slightly. “And did I give you permission to sleep on my pillow? Go stay in the living room.”  
“That couch is too uncomfortable to sleep on. I’d get terrible rest if I stayed out there. Besides,” he closed his eyes. “I like the smell of this room. It’s comforting.”  
The flush from earlier came back, but this time out of just embarrassment.   
Why was he getting embarrassed in front a dragon?  
It made no goddamn sense.  
“I-I’m gonna go take a shower.”  
“So, does that mean that I can stay here?”  
“Yes, dammit, just stop bugging me about it!” Oikawa haphazardly grabbed any clothes he could find and dashed into the bathroom across the hall, slamming the door closed.  
He slumped against the wall, hiding his face in his hands.  
What had he gotten himself into?

 

“What history class are you taking?”  
“History 200. It’s a general education course I need in order to graduate.”  
“What’s History 200?”  
“Western Civilization and will you please stop annoying me?!” Oikawa turned to glare at Haizrek, who was currently perched on his shoulder like some damn bird, eyes watching him as he worked through another chapter. “You’re ruining my concentration with your squawking.”  
“Squawking? I’m a dragon, not a bird, remember?”  
“You certainly are annoying like one, that’s for sure,” the younger male made another note on the lined paper in front of him, flipping it over to start the next page. “How would you feel if I was annoying you?”  
“I have a funny intuition that that will happen sometime in the near future,” Haizrek exclaimed. “I’m only asking these questions because they seem relevant to your life.”  
“Well how long are you planning on staying here, again?”  
“Only until the cold front passes, so a week, maybe two, tops.”   
“Then you shouldn’t take that time to get to know me.”  
“Why would you say something like that? I’m always interested in meeting new people.”  
Oikawa didn’t say anything for half a second, and the words tumbled out before he could stop them. “You’ll find out soon enough that I’m not someone worth remembering.”  
Haizrek went quiet. The silence that followed was so intense, Oikawa could hear the blood rushing through his ears. He could hear his soft breaths escaping his nose, could feel his heart pounding harshly against his chest, could taste the dryness in his throat, and could smell the musk of the used textbook laying on the desk.  
It was probably one of the most uncomfortable experiences in his life.  
He willed his eyes to close as his thoughts tried to replacement the quietness with their words.  
Good job, idiot.  
Way to embarrass yourself.  
If front of a mythical creature, no less.  
You really are a pathetic version of your past self.  
“Oikawa-”  
“Woo, would you look at the time?!” the former interrupted, glancing down at a non-existent watch on his wrist. “It’s getting pretty late and I need some rest after today!”  
“Oikawa-”  
“Are you tired? Cause I most certainly am,” he stood up and proceeded over towards the bed, Haizrek moving to hover in the air. Oikawa stripped off his t-shirt and let it fall to the floor in a tiny lump. “I can just set my alarm a little earlier tomorrow morning to get the rest done. Better to have a clear head, right?”  
“Oikawa-” Haizrek sounded pissed off, but the other male continued to ignore him as he stripped off his lounge pants, sliding under the covers of his bed in just boxers. He hastily set the alarm, put his phone on charge, and turned off the light. The covers settled gently around him and when he re-opened his eyes, green orbs were staring right back.  
This time, Oikawa didn’t scream, nor even flinch.  
If this was his life now, he needed to accept it.  
He could tell the dragon was about to say something, but stopped him before he could. “I’m tired, Iwa-chan. Let’s just go to sleep.”  
He turned over until his back faced Haizrek, who only sighed as he dropped the subject with a, “Okay. Good night, Oikawa.”  
As silence filled the room again, Oikawa Tooru had to fight back the first wave of tears from spilling down his cheeks.  
To him, things were only going to get harder from here.


	3. Smiles Won't Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'll keep this note short for you all so you can go straight into reading the next chapter! Please enjoy it and remember to leave comments and kudos! <3 ^_^

The sound of the alarm aroused Oikawa from his slumber, but he was grateful for the intrusion. He had barely slept a wink last night, and even when he had finally managed to doze off, it was restless and he had wounded up tossing and turning until Haizrek would tell him to stop.   
Now, he cracked open one eye and reached his arm out to swipe the alarm off, bringing his arm right back into the warm comfort of his bed.   
He really didn’t feel like getting up.  
Ironically, now that he had to, his body finally decided to relax and his brain calmed its thoughts.  
Closing his eyes, he burrowed deeper into the covers, willing the waves of sleep to drift him back into dreams.  
Maybe he could-  
“Don’t even think about skipping classes, dumbass,” Haizrek’s deep voice made Oikawa slowly open his eyes again in annoyance.  
It was like the damn creature could read his mind.  
“Whatever made you think I would, Iwa-chan?” the younger male asked, though he made sure it was dripping with sarcasm.   
“You’re purposely being sarcastic and I don’t appreciate it, Shittykawa.”   
At the nickname, Oikawa abruptly sat up, turning to glare down at the dragon. “Please refrain from calling me such rude names! Especially since I’m so graciously allowing you to stay here.”  
“You didn’t have to, remember? You could have just kicked me out and let me be on my way,” Haizrek tilted his head, a smirk playing at the corners of his snout. “You’re just too nice to have said no, am I right?”  
The younger male jutted out his lower lip into a pout, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his chin up at the other. “That doesn’t give you permission to gloat about my generosity. I could still kick you out at any time.”  
“Just go make breakfast.”  
“I’m not going to take orders from you.”  
Oikawa’s stomach suddenly rumbled, loudly, at which he felt his face flush, thankful he was still looking away, though he knew Haizrek had heard it.  
“Woo, am I hungry, I should go make breakfast!” he exclaimed quickly before throwing the covers off and throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He grabbed a pair of lounge pants from off the ground and slipped them on before standing up and walking on through the hallway and into the kitchen.  
He was all but too aware of Haizrek’s snickering as he had exited his room.   
He opened the fridge and grabbed for the carton of eggs, opening the container only to have his face fall flat at the sight.  
What he thought had been half last night was only about a third left of eggs.  
What was he going to do?  
He needed to make eggs for him and Haizrek, but if they both have one, he’ll only have two left and he needed to make these last until he could safely afford another carton, if not two.  
Grabbing only one egg from the container, he closed it and placed it back in the fridge, grabbing the butter before closing the fridge door as well. He placed the pan on the stove and turned it on, waiting for it to get hot before placing some butter onto the iron, using the handle to turn the pan in circles to get it coated.  
Once that was completed, he cracked the egg open and placed it onto the pan, the yolk sizzling as it hit the hot surface. He grabbed a spatula and began flipping the egg onto itself, watching the yolk turn the whole of the egg whites yellow, doing this until the eggs began fluffy and bright, at which he turned the stove off, grabbed a plate from out of one of the cupboards above his head, and slipped the scrambled eggs on it. He placed the pan on the backburner so it would cool and turned to see Haizrek flying in and landing on the table. He stared up at him with his green gaze. “That smells good. I’m surprised you actually know how to cook.”  
“Yeah, yeah, I hope you enjoy them,” Oikawa mumbled and placed the plate in front of the dragon. The latter stared down at it for a few seconds before gazing back up at him. “Where’s your plate?”  
The former waved his hand in the air frantically. “I-I wasn’t as hungry as I thought I was.”  
“Your stomach growled in your room.”  
“Y-Yeah, it’s okay! I have protein bars in the pantry I can eat! I’ll be okay with those.”  
“Oikawa, why-?”   
“I’m gonna go get ready for classes. Have to be at my first one in an hour,” Oikawa was quick to exit the kitchen, not ready to get yelled at for not eating.  
He was starving, though…  
At the thought, his stomach growled again, which he audibly groaned at.  
He really wanted an egg, but he had to eat them sparingly and Haizrek took priority with getting one since he was a guest.   
Oikawa sighed.  
Why was he so nice?  
Realizing he had traipsed back into his room unconsciously, he turned his head to glance over at the still opened history textbook and notes laying on his desk.  
Not feeling the urge to complete it, he began getting ready for the day.

 

“You’re coming with me.”  
“What??” Haizrek asked incredulously, having taken a perch on the armrest of the couch in the living room. “Why do I have to come and sit through boring lectures with you?”  
Oikawa glanced at him from over near the front door, having already slipped on his shows and was now performing the task of wrapping a scarf around his neck. “Because I’m not about to let a dragon stay in my apartment alone. You might burn the place down.”  
“Wow, that’s very prejudice of you to say. Not all dragons possess the power to harness fire, you know?”  
“Oh really?” the younger male pulled a knitted toboggan hat over his head. “So, what’s your power, then?”  
“I cannot divulge that information yet,” Haizrek explained.   
Oikawa had to control the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance. “For that, any new question you have for me that involves anything about me, I’ll say the same to you.”  
The dragon chuckled. “Wow, I didn’t know 20-year-old babies existed.”   
“Yep, that’s me; baby Oikawa Tooru,” the brown-haired male slung his backpack over his shoulders, stretching out his hand towards Haizrek. “Now come on, I’m gonna be late.”  
The dragon looked at the hand hesitantly. “W-Where will I stay? I can’t just be flying around out in the open.”  
“You can stay in my scarf.”  
“And when we get into the classroom?”  
“We’ll figure something out, then, just come on. I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer,” Oikawa swung his arm up and down for emphasis. Haizrek took a few more seconds to hesitate before finally kicking up into the air and landing on the younger male’s palm. He walked up his arm and wiggled his way into the wool fabric of the scarf, peeking his head out to see after a few seconds of getting comfortable. “I feel and look ridiculous.”  
“Not my problem, Iwa-chan,” the younger male exclaimed as he opened the door to the main hallway of the apartment building. He locked it behind him and proceeded on towards the elevator, pulling out the protein bar he had grabbed from in the pantry before leaving. He tore at the wrapper and took a bite, inwardly grimacing at the chalky taste of what was supposed to be chocolate chip cookie dough.   
“I bet that tastes as gross as it smells,” Haizrek exclaimed, smugness lining his voice. Oikawa chose to ignore the jab and continued eating, much to his taste buds’ protests.   
Once outside, Oikawa thanked his lucky stars he had decided to go with a hat and scarf. The wind howled across the sidewalks, whipped through alleyways and side streets, and cut through the buildings in harsh waves. The little bit of skin he was showing, which was his face and hands, immediately bristled as the cold air slapped against them like icy needles. He burrowed deeper into his scarf in the hopes of providing some relief for his chin.   
“Hey, hey, remember I’m in this thing!” the dragon’s gruff voice snapped. “I don’t need your chalky breath invading my air space.”  
“But Iwa-chan, it’s cold~,” Oikawa whined, pushing his chin in deeper. “I didn’t expect the wind to be this brutal.”  
“I don’t care if it’s brutal, Shittykawa, you’re gonna crush me with your fat head.”  
“Meanie, Iwa-chan, you’re so mean!” he had meant to say that a little quieter than he had, and his outburst sparked a few questionable looks from passersby. Feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment, he reached into his coat pocket and extracted his ears buds, stuffing them into his ears.  
“Why did you do that?”  
“So it doesn’t look like I’m talking to myself like some crazy maniac,” Oikawa grumbled, eyes pinned straight ahead.  
“Too late for that-ow!” the dragon was promptly smacked through the scarf for that comment. Grunting, Haizrek sighed. “Now who’s being the mean one?”  
The younger male could only laugh.   
And not the fake, empty one, either.  
This one was one that left a genuine smile on his face the rest of the way to campus.

 

His first class of the day was none other than Western Civilization, and the professor was discussing the rise of Nazism in Germany during World War ll. Oikawa should have found the topic interesting, since the whole world was affected by such an era, but he instead found himself gazing out the window to his left, chin supported by his hand and elbow, which sat atop the desk he currently resided in. His backpack was perched on the floor next to him, hat and scarf placed under his chair on the hanging book rack, where he knew Haizrek was dozing amongst the knitted wool.  
They had gotten there early enough so he could let the dragon hide before anyone saw him, which was a blessing, because it was one less thing Oikawa felt he had needed to worry about, what with everything else going on in his life.  
When was pay day again?  
Right…not for another day or so, tops.  
What day was it, again?  
Right…if he had Western Civilization, that meant that today was Tuesday.  
And that meant that he had practice this afternoon.  
Great, he thought while heaving a deep sigh.  
He didn’t even have his work out gear with him.  
He needed to go, though, so as not to lose his spot on the team.  
Though he really wondered if he still even mattered to the rest of his teammates.  
Thinking back on this morning, a new thought crossed his mind.  
He wondered how much a bag of rice actually was.  
Hopefully he would be able to find it at the grocery store he usually shopped at.  
If not, he was screwed.  
The fingers of his free hand tapped absentmindedly against the wooden desk top, creating a series of unrhythmic patterns in his ears.   
He hadn’t done such a thing in a while.  
And he knew what it was.  
It was the beginning of the itch.  
The nagging, burning, ever-present itch that didn’t allow him to sit still.   
He had had this itch for years, ever since he could remember.  
It was the itch to draw.  
To create.  
To bring something to life.  
He hadn’t brought out his sketchbook since the end of September, hadn’t touched his drawing pencil in weeks, and hadn’t felt any inspiration in days.  
But something about today, something about this very present second, as his gaze honed in on the streets below, suddenly made him feel the urge to pick up his pencil and sketchbook, and start drawing.   
Unfortunately, all of that was back at his apartment.  
To top off all the places he had to visit today, the train ride from his current campus, Hongo, to the campus where the volleyball courts were located, Komaba, was at least 45 minutes, if not more.   
“Alright class, that ends our lecture for today,” Oikawa turned to the sound of the professor bidding his farewell to the students, slightly dazed.  
When had class flown by so fast?  
“And before you leave, please hand in the homework that was assigned for today and I will hand them back at the beginning of class on Thursday.”  
The brunette truly wanted to slap himself, but held back.  
He had forgotten the homework back at his apartment.  
The textbook and notepad were still laying on his desk.  
Even if it would have been half-finished, partial credit was better than no credit.  
That much was obvious.  
Still, though, Oikawa couldn’t just run back and grab it, so instead, he waited until everyone had filed out, each one handing his or her paper in to the professor, before he, himself, got up and began rummaging around with his things. He somehow managed to get his scarf and hat on without letting Haizrek be seen, though the sudden jostling woke him up.  
“Hey, I was sleeping!” he heard his gruff voice pipe up.  
But Oikawa didn’t acknowledge him as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, face firmly angled at the ground so as not to be seen by the professor. He only got halfway to the door before he was stopped.  
“Oikawa, I seem to be missing your assignment.”  
The brunette stopped dead in his tracks, not sure how to respond.   
However, he threw his shoulders back and swiveled on his heel, giving the professor one of his signature smiles while rubbing the back of his head with his hand. “Ah, my apologies, professor. A lot of things have come up and I neglected to bring it to class.”  
Oikawa was hoping that would be the end of it, but instead, he received a more annoyed look than what he was expecting.  
To the point where his smile fell and his skin prickled with an icy sense of dread.  
The professor exhaled a deep sigh before removing his glasses and twining his fingers together on his desk. He gave the male a long stare. “Oikawa, you have neglected to turn in the last five assignments I’ve given you. I’ve extended the due date on all of them up to this point and you’ve still yet to hand them in.”  
“I-I understand, sir, and I’m sorry I’ve been neglectful in my assignments, but-”  
“It’s not even your assignments, Oikawa. It’s your test grades as well,” the man in front of him continued. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a file, flipping it open to show the past tests the brunette had taken, each one littered with red marks. “I mean, you haven’t made a single grade above a C this entire semester so far.”  
Oikawa could feel the dread getting larger. It had started at the base of his spine and was slowly working its way up towards his head and branching out towards his limbs.   
He couldn’t move.  
It felt like even swallowing would be a struggle at this point.  
He could feel his composure collapsing the more he stood there, but his feet refused to move and his mouth refused to speak.  
The only thing his body allowed him to do was stand, unmovable like a giant tree, while his professor continued to berate him for his laziness.   
“These grades, are, in my personal opinion, not a reflection of your intelligence capacity.”  
“Hey, hey, what’s this guy’s problem?” Haizrek’s voice suddenly buzzed in his ear, but Oikawa didn’t respond.  
Great, he was being berated, and in front of someone else on top of that.  
The embarrassment just continued.  
“University of Tokyo is a tough school to get into, and I know you got in based on academic success, since you attended Shiratorizawa and excelled at the entrance exam for both your high school and here,” the professor explained, flipping the folder shut with a sigh. He gazed back up at the male. “I know you are capable of completing these assignments and acing these tests. This an under-level class, Oikawa. This isn’t meant to be difficult in any means compared to the upper-level courses you’ll be taking come next year. But I do not see your future continuing here at UTokyo if you cannot work out the events that are interfering with your studies.”  
“What the hell, this guy is an ass-”  
“I understand, sir,” Oikawa interrupted the dragon’s rant from inside his scarf, giving a weak smile to the professor in the hopes that it appeared genuine. “I hope to figure things out soon.”   
“Alright…well, unfortunately, I have allowed the extension to go on for too long, and you must pay the consequences,” the professor slipped the folder back into the drawer and closed it. “You will be receiving 0s on all the assignments, including the one that was due today. I am sorry for this, but I cannot be this lenient towards one student.”  
The brunette was finally able to swallow, but it felt like a cotton ball-sized lump was lodged in his throat.  
“This will probably also mean that, paired with your current exam grades, you will be receiving a D in this class, which ultimately means that you will be needing to repeat it in order to graduate,” the man placed his glasses back on, clicked a pen open, and began scribbling on the notepad in front of him. He waved his hand in the air nonchalantly. “You’re dismissed. Have a good day.”  
Oikawa felt his smile cracking at the corners as he gave a small bow in the direction of the professor. “Have a good day, sir.”  
He took his time walking the rest of the way to the exit, but once he was out in the hallway, he nearly sprinted to the stairs.  
“What the hell was that back there?” Haizrek asked, his head popping out through the folds of the scarf.   
“It was nothing, I was just being yelled at, is all,” the brunette tried to say it with a playful tone, but he could feel the dread and embarrassment seeping into his bones.   
He knew he was messing up.  
Being reminded of it had probably not been the best thing for him.  
What little confidence he had left in his academic integrity fell away in one swoop.  
All he had left was volleyball, art, and his job, but at least one of those was bound to fall away soon as well.  
He dreaded telling his parents his grades.  
He dreaded telling them how much of a fuck up he had become.  
He dreaded moving back in with them and being a lowlife that depended on his parents for everything.   
He dreaded not knowing what to do if he got kicked out of the university.  
“Well that guy was a heartless prick and an asshole. He didn’t have a right to say the things he said,” Haizrek tried to console.  
But as Oikawa reached the bottom step, he realized the words couldn’t do anything for him.  
“No…he was right,” he looked down at the dragon, a broken smile playing at his lips as he fought back tears.  
He refused to cry.  
Refused to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing him crumble, even if that someone was a dragon.  
“I could be doing better, but I’m not. I’m just purposely fucking up my own life and I have no one to blame but myself.”  
“Oikawa, stop-”  
“Let’s go ahead and get that bag of rice, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa pushed the metal door open, the cold wind hitting his face, instantly sending needles of sharp pain down his body.  
He was thankful for it, though.  
It immediately dried up the few tears that managed to escape.


	4. Everything I Knew...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!!! I love seeing more and more people joining the family that supports this story! Thank you all so much! I'm also excited to announce that now that school is officially over for me for the summer, I can focus back in on this story and many others I plan on writing in the near future! ^_^ Any who, here is the next chapter for you lovelies and I hope you enjoy it. Remember to leave comments and kudos!!! <333

Turns out the grocery store did have the huge bags of rice Oikawa needed to make food.  
Though it had ended up being $25, so he was now completely out of cash.  
Still, food was important, so he ignored the now empty slot in his wallet as he threw the heavy bag onto the counter in his kitchen.  
“Who knew rice would weigh this much,” Oikawa mumbled, plopping down onto the couch, letting his head rest back against the cushions. “Or be this expensive.”  
“Sorry, I didn’t realize,” Haizrek exclaimed from where he laid, perched on the armrest. “When I get the opportunity, I’ll pay you back.”  
“Don’t worry about it. That bag will last me for a while once you’re gone,” the brunette waved his hand in the air. “There are plenty of dishes I can make with rice, after all.”  
“Mm…don’t you still have class?”  
“I do…and I’m not going.”  
“Oikawa, you can’t do this.”  
“Really? I can’t? Last I checked, I was already failing a class. Might as well just continue, right?” Oikawa gazed up at the ceiling, sighing.  
“You can’t just flunk out of school, you know?”   
“Iwa-chan, are you my mother?” he didn’t have to look to know that that comment had struck a chord within the dragon, especially since the latter didn’t respond immediately.  
Instead, he closed his eyes as he heard movement, waiting for the rustling and rummaging to stop before re-opening them, only to find a pair of olive green eyes blazing back only millimeters away. The dragon was so close, he could feel his breath hit his chin in tiny huffs. Oikawa blinked slowly, face vapid. “What?”  
“You are one of the most annoying mundanes I have ever met.”  
“Well, I’ve been called ‘annoying’ before, but never a mundane. What is that, anyways?” the brunette smirked at the glower he received.  
Even if he had only met the little mythical creature last night, he certainly enjoyed pushing his buttons, especially since they were, apparently, so easy to find.  
“A mundane is what we call humans who do not harbor a dragon spirit. But by regular definitions, it means a person that is devoid of excitement or lacking any interest,” Haizrek explained, looking smug.  
“Oh, you find me unexciting? I apologize that I haven’t met your standards.”  
Haizrek growled, low in his throat. “You’re so goddamn annoying.”   
Oikawa didn’t counter. Instead, he found himself gazing intensely into the other’s eyes, brain trying to process what color they actually were. They were a dark, vibrant green shade that reminded him of the color of emeralds, but upon further inspection, the brunette could make out specs of gold and blue swirling around the slit pupils.   
He was entranced by them.  
If he could choose…he’d gaze into those eyes for the rest of his life.  
Haizrek must have noticed the sudden interest, because his smugness turned into confusion. “What is it? Is something wrong?”  
“Nothing, you just have beautiful eyes, is all,” Oikawa didn’t think much of the compliment. He never really gave them out, but when he did, he meant them and felt no embarrassment behind saying them to whoever.   
Though Haizrek seemed quite surprised. His eyes grew wide in shock and he backed away, wings stuttering at his sides. “Um…th-thank you, I guess.”  
“I should go make those beans and rice,” the brunette pushed himself up onto his feet and proceeded into the kitchen, not aware of the fact that the dragon eventually disappeared down the hallway.

 

It was later that day, 2:50pm to be exact, and Oikawa was getting changed in the locker room that was attached to the volleyball courts. Getting to the Komaba campus took longer than he had originally planned. What was only meant to have taken 45 minutes ended up being nearly an hour due to traffic and busy stops.   
The brunette thanked his lucky stars he had decided to leave his apartment at 1:45 instead of 2.  
Sitting down on the bench behind him, Oikawa slipped on the black pad over his left knee and the white one over his right.  
“What’s the white one for?” Haizrek asked, face appearing from inside the scarf.  
“I injured my knee pretty badly in high school. This is the only thing that keeps it from fucking up during practice,” Oikawa glared at it with disgust. “Though it stopped working a while ago.”  
“What do you mean?”  
The brunette was about to explain when his teammate, Konoha Akinori, popped his head around the corner at the end of the row of lockers. “Oikawa-san, practice is about to start.”  
“I’ll be out there soon, Konoha,” he flashed one of his signature smiles at the other before he disappeared back out on the courts. Oikawa let the smile fade slowly while he gazed back down at the white knee support. “I can’t participate in practice as much as I would love to. My injury won’t allow it.”  
“Have you thought about surgery?”  
Oikawa snorted out an unattractive laugh. “Ha, right, like surgery is an option for me. Not if I want to make the national team. I can’t afford to take off a full season in recovery.”  
“But doing nothing will-”  
“Oikawa, you’re gonna be late,” Konoha’s voice rang through the room once again and Oikawa sighed as he stood up, grabbing a towel and his water bottle from inside his bag. “Coming!”  
At the sound of the door closing, the male turned to give Haizrek a contented smile in response to the concern etched on the latter’s face. “I’ll be alright, Iwa-chan. Just lay back and relax until I’m done.”  
With that, he trudged out of the locker room and onto the volleyball court.

 

The familiar sounds of tennis shoes scraping against polished wood flooring, volleyballs slamming against forearms, and ‘nice receive!’ and ‘nice serve!’ were music to Oikawa’s ears as he inhaled the slightly pungent scent of sweat.  
He didn’t mind it, though; it just meant the others around him were already working hard.  
“Alright, everyone! Get into position!” their coach’s gruff voice bellowed out from the sidelines. “We’re starting warm-up drills.”  
The male stood in line with everyone else, getting ready to start sprints.   
“Oikawa-san,” his name was called and he turned his head to find his coach gesturing him to come over. Sighing inwardly, he jogged over and stood in front of his coach, who gave him a warm smile. “It’s nice to see you back on the court.”  
“I’m glad to be back, sir,” the brunette bowed slightly.  
“How’s the knee?”  
“It’s doing okay, sir. Enough for me to practice.”  
“Just ‘enough’?” his coach gave him a look that was marred with worry. “Oikawa, have you even gone in to see the athletic trainer about possible rehab and therapy?”  
Oikawa swallowed thickly, trying to think of an excuse.   
His coach had been trying to get him to go for months.  
But he also knew that the time spent doing rehabilitation exercises and therapy treatments meant even more time off the courts, and Oikawa knew he couldn’t afford that.  
“With work and school, I can’t seem to fit it into my schedule,” he explained, knowing it wasn’t necessarily a lie, but it was far from the truth.  
His coach seemed to recognize it, too. He gave a deep sigh before crossing his arms over his chest. “Oikawa-san, I worry about you. You’re a fantastic player and can adapt to any new situations and environments, it’s why I recruited you. However, you have done nothing to improve the condition of your knee and if you want to have any chances of playing on the national team, you need to fix the problem now before it’s too late.”  
Come on, Oikawa, think!  
He smiled warmly at his coach. “I understand your concerns, sir. As soon as I can, I will go to see the trainer and discuss my options with them.”  
The older male gave him a slightly defeated expression before turning his attention back to the courts. “Alright, but I’m holding you to those words. However, we’ll see how you perform today. We’re doing a gameplay with 6 on 6. You’ll be setting, as always, but at the first sign of any ailments, I’m pulling you out. You can’t continue doing this to yourself, okay?”  
“Yes, sir,” Oikawa replied almost automatically.  
“Okay. Now that that’s settled, go do your warm-ups and we’ll start shortly.”  
The younger male bowed slightly and abruptly turned on his heel, running towards the opposite end of the court to do his sprints, dives, jumping jacks, and dynamic stretching.   
After that, he joined his team and prepared for the game.

 

It was the second set and Oikawa and his team had managed to win the first one, 31 to 29.  
Now, the scoreboard was tied at 30-30, and it was him and his team’s turn to serve the ball over.   
Oikawa leaned forward, arms supported by his knees as he tried to catch his breath. What had once been airy and cool space was now replaced with stagnant and musty air as sweat and hard breathing filled the court.   
He swiped at his forehead with his arm, a sheen of sweat being left in its wake. He could feel the salty droplets falling down his face and onto the polished floor. His lungs burned as if they were on fire and his muscles ached a deep pain from exertion. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his eyes were wide with focus.  
He felt pretty damn good.   
His knee hadn’t bothered him through all of practice, and once this set was over, everyone was free to go home.  
He smiled.  
He could do it.  
He would make it through practice.  
He will be successful.  
To his left, his teammate tossed him the ball and he caught it, settling into position.   
Suddenly, the entire gymnasium was silent. All that could be heard was the quiet, fast huffs of all the players as they waited for the serve. Oikawa closed his eyes, focusing his attention on his breathing, trying to calm that and his still racing heartbeat.   
Focus.  
Breathe deeply.  
Inhale…exhale…  
Inhale…exhale…   
Focus.  
Once he felt ready, he opened his eyes, threw the ball up, and delivered a swift and fast jump serve that was over the net in seconds and reaching the far back left corner of the opposite team’s side, the player barely reaching it in time before it hit the ground. It was bumped high into the air, everyone watching as it fell back to earth and was met with another set of forearms. This was continued for a few more seconds as players on each side scattered to fill empty spots as the ball was suddenly spiked to Oikawa’s side.   
One of his teammates was quick to receive it, diving for and bumping it up before it slammed into the wood flooring. The ball flew up and curved forward, Oikawa racing towards the front line in order to set it to his wing spiker. He turned abruptly to jump for the ball, arms raised high above his head.  
“ENKI-SA-!”   
A sudden, jarring and intense pain radiated from his right knee and traveled up into his thigh, instantly crippling him as he fell to the ground, unable to stand as the pain continued and seemed to escalate in intensity. He clutched at his knee as he fought the urge to scream.  
God, it was so painful.   
It felt like a million needles, that were on fire, were stabbing him from behind his kneecap, and just the idea of trying to extend his leg sent shards of pain up his thigh.  
Tears sprang from the corners of his eyes as teammate upon teammate rushed over to help him. They crowded around in an oppressive huddle, gazing down at him with worried and scared expressions.  
“Oikawa-san-”  
“Are you okay?”  
“What happened?”  
“Are you hurt?”  
“Is it your knee?”  
Too many questions were being sprung at him and he had too little energy to even process them, let alone try to answer them.  
Tears leaked down his cheeks now as the pain turned from stabbing to throbbing, going at the same rhythm as his heart.  
Help.  
He needed someone to help him.  
His knee had never done something like this before.   
It had always been intense pinching, but never something like this that crippled him instantly.   
It made him instantly scared.  
Just how bad was his knee?   
He could barely comprehend the question over the pain.  
It wasn’t stopping.  
He felt the color on his face drain as his body succumbed to it.  
He’d pass out soon if something wasn’t done.  
Over the ringing in his ears, he heard his coach’s bellowing voice scream out an order and arms were suddenly rutting up underneath him and lifting his body into the air. He felt a shoulder accidently bump into his right leg.  
It was too much.  
An agonized scream escaped his throat before the pain became overwhelming and the world around him blacked out.

 

When Oikawa came to, he was in the athletic training room. He was laying on one of the multitude of beds that lied the wall opposite the doors that led into the room. To his right was the entryway that led to the exercise pool and ice bath tub where athletes went to cool off their muscles after an intense workout, and to his left was where the offices of the trainers were. Two were talking intently from behind the window, bodies close together and looking at a clipboard.  
The brunette looked down at himself, not surprised to see a bag of ice saran-wrapped around his knee. The pain there had eased significantly, but he was terrified of walking on it.   
If he couldn’t walk, how would he get home?  
Someone would have to drive him.  
But he didn’t know anyone that drove a car.  
Everyone commuted to the gym either by train or bike, if they were close enough.   
He sighed as he plopped his head back down onto the pillow, one of the trainers coming out from within the office. She locked eyes with the male before walking out of the room and returning moments later with his coach, who walked over and sat on the bed next to Oikawa, gaze intense. “How are you feeling?”  
“I’m feeling okay, sir. My knee is doing better,” he replied, smiling warmly.   
But his coach wasn’t having any of it.  
“Oikawa-san, I warned you about this,” he started. “I told you that if you didn’t get this taken care of sooner rather than later, it would become a problem that would be near impossible to fix without it ruining your athletic career.”  
“W-Wait, so am I out for good??” fear crept into Oikawa’s bones, running his blood cold.  
No…no, it couldn’t be.  
His career couldn’t be over, right?  
Right??  
“No, Oikawa-san, you’re not out for good,” the coach calmed his worries, shaking his head. “The trainer explained that it was just an incredibly intense flare up that will likely happen again in the near future with physical exercise.”   
“So…what does that mean?”  
The coach sighed, gaze shifting to the ground. “It means I’m taking matters into my own hands and doing what’s best for you,” he looked at Oikawa again. “I’m red-shirting you for the next year.”  
Oikawa felt his heart stop, if that were possible.  
Time seemed to freeze.  
He was being red-shirted?  
For a full year??  
“In the meantime,” his coach continued, “you’ll find the time to get your surgery and enroll in therapy and rehab. I’m not going to let you ruin yourself before you even have a fair chance to fight.”  
“Sir, please, listen, I’m okay, I don’t need the-”  
“Oikawa, you will listen and do as I say or you will be asked to leave the team for good and never be allowed to return!” the older male’s voice bellowed, silencing Oikawa mid rant.   
He wanted to cry.  
Everything was slowly falling apart and he couldn’t do anything about it.  
Lowering his head to hide his eyes behind his bangs, he whimpered out a, “Yes, sir.”  
“Good. Now that that’s been settled,” his coach clapped his hands as he stood from his perch, giving the younger male a pat on the shoulder. “I hope for a quick recovery. I’m not punishing you, Oikawa-san. I see how much potential you have and I want to see you on the national team one day. You just need to take care of yourself first.”  
“I understand, sir.”  
The older male firmly nodded his head once before turning and heading towards the exit. He waved a hand above his head and left with a, “You’re free to leave whenever you feel like it.”  
And then there he was.  
Alone.  
With a throbbing knee and scattered thoughts.  
First school.  
Now volleyball.  
His academic integrity was tarnished.  
And now his athletic career was being threatened.  
It was too much, all at once, in one day.  
He allowed a few tears to fall before moving to stand and hobbling out of the training room and back to the locker room.


End file.
